Mistletoe Man
by tmtcltb
Summary: This is my contribution to the 2016 The Last Ship Holiday Story Exchange! My prompt was: Tex and Andrea and a mistletoe kiss. Please enjoy!
1. December 25, 2014

_A/N – this is my contribution to the 2016 The Last Ship Holiday Story Exchange!_ _This story is for Tea-Induced Scribbles, who requested a Tex/Andrea story and a mistletoe kiss. I hope that you enjoy! XOXO – tmtcltb._

 _x_

 _December 25, 2014_

 _x_

Andrea stood on the patio, the chill from the stone wall she was leaning against seeping into her bones. Behind her the festivities continued unabated despite the late hour, the guys playing some sort of drinking game that seemed to be aimed solely at getting utterly trashed. Normally she – or Tom or Mike – would have cut them off by now, but not tonight. Not after all that the crew had gone through since leaving the Arctic, not when many of them still didn't know whether their families were dead or alive, and especially not given what had happened in this very hotel two nights before, when Curtis shot Doctor Rachel Scott.

 _And with her destroyed so much hope for the future._

The crew _needed_ this celebration. They needed this time to let off some steam, to be regular people, to have a break – no matter how fleeting – from a mission that involved the very survival of the human race. So if they got a little rambunctious tonight, Andrea was not going to be the one to stop them.

Even if the last thing she felt like doing tonight was partying. Even if each time someone wished her a Merry Christmas Andrea felt like she was being stabbed in the stomach, each word, each smile a painful reminder that she would never have another Christmas – another birthday, another holiday, another day – with Bill or Lily. Which was why she was outside, despite the shivers that now wracked her body.

"There you are Red!"

Andrea was mildly surprised to hear Tex's voice. When she left the group, he was in the thick of things, trying to fashion a funnel to attach to the keg. He stepped onto the patio, the light from the ballroom giving her a perfect view of the hat that he was wearing. A baseball cap, Andrea thought she could see the logo for the Oakland A's, it was now covered in some sort of plastic leaves and fake birds – and made Tex look absolutely ridiculous.

Andrea snorted. "What _is_ that?"

"You don't like my Christmas present?" Tex spun in a circle. "Kat made it for me. It's mistletoe. So I get kisses from all the ladies."

Despite her best effort, Andrea burst out laughing when Tex waggled his eyebrows at her. "You can count me out on the kissing front."

"You're ruining my streak, Red," Tex replied as he strolled out onto the patio. "Is it snowing?"

"It started about fifteen minutes ago," Andrea confirmed. "I'm waiting for a little bit to stick and then I'll get Kara. She'll be ecstatic. She was hoping for a white wedding."

Unlike many brides, Kara hadn't been overly concerned about the details of the wedding. In fact, upon learning that Danny would be leaving for California on Boxing Day as part of the effort to spread the cure, Kara was the one who suggested getting married immediately, even though her mother would not arrive in St. Louis for at least another few weeks. The tight time frame meant that the wedding was being held at the same hotel that hosted the inaugural ball only days before, but the crew did what it could to make the day special. The small ceremony was performed by the Master Chief with the majority of the crew in attendance. Both bride and groom wore their dress blues, and Bacon outdid himself with the food. Still, the one bride-like wish that Kara expressed was the hope that her wedding day might be graced with snow, and Andrea had sensed her disappointed at the bright, sunny day.

"It was a good idea, having the wedding today," Tex said abruptly.

"Yes. Good to get the formalities done before Danny leaves," Andrea replied.

"True," Tex agreed. "But that's not what I meant. It gives the crew something to take their minds off what today is, and where they would be, and who they would be with right now if everything didn't go to shit."

Andrea gave him a sideways glance. At times the contractor could be surprisingly insightful. "How is Kat doing?"

"It was a tough day," Tex admitted. "I had to get a bit creative. Why do you think I'm wearing this ridiculous hat?"

"I thought it was to get kisses from the ladies," Andrea replied, teasing the man a little. The hat _was_ unquestionably absurd, although it was pretty darn sweet that he was wearing it to take his daughter's mind off the mother she was missing.

"Is it working?"

Suppressing a laugh, Andrea pushed away from the wall. "I think there's a sufficient amount of snow on the ground. I'm going to find Kara. Maybe you can round up that drunken groom so they can see it together."

Tex actually pouted. "What about my kiss?"

This time Andrea did laugh. "Not a chance in hell."


	2. December 25, 2015

_December 25, 2015_

 _x_

"I'd like to say something." Danny Green raised his glass, clearing his throat loudly as he waited for the chatter to slowly subside. "First, Merry Christmas. Second, thank you all for coming here tonight to celebrate with us. A lot has changed in the last year. I became a dad!"

A cat-call interrupted Danny's toast and Andrea elbowed Tex in the stomach – she would recognize that sound anywhere – catching Kara's amused smile at the byplay.

"But one thing that hasn't changed is how much all of you mean to Kara and me. You are our family." Danny set a hand on Kara's shoulder, and Andrea felt her own eyes grow misty as she took in the three of them. Danny standing behind his wife, Frankie snuggled in Kara's arms, thumb in mouth, gazing around at a room full of people who loved him. Danny was right. They really _were_ family. "So thank you for being there for us, tonight and always. To family."

Andrea reached for her water glass – she knew better than to drink anything stronger, having made the mistake of looking through the pictures of Lily's first Christmas early today and feeling too raw to take the chance of lowering her guard – only to become tangled in Tex's god-awful hat. "Why do you still have that?"

"I'm waiting for my kiss," Tex replied without missing a beat.

From her seat on the other side of Tex, Kat gagged. "Dad, get a life. You look nuts. Did you see the look on Sasha's face when we arrived? Pretty sure she thinks we're a threat to national security now."

Ignoring his daughter, Tex leaned towards Andrea. "Come on, you know you want to…."

Evading Tex easily, Andrea leaned towards Kara. "Do you want me to take the little guy for a while so you and Danny can take a walk in the snow?"

Kara's face lit up and, Andrea decided to ignore the sudden gleam in Danny's eyes, suspecting that he was planning a little more than a walk. It was only once Frankie was deposited in Andrea's arms and the happy couple were on their way that Andrea realized what she had done.

 _She was holding a baby – on Christmas._

Andrea waited for the memories to flood her, for the tears to start flowing, but instead she found herself smiling down at the sleepy infant who was wearing the "My First Christmas" outfit that Andrea bought for him back in July, keeping her fingers crossed that it would still fit when December rolled around. She was glad that she gave the outfit to Kara last week. When Andrea, Tex, and Kat first arrived a flustered Kara explained that they had only opened about half the presents under the tree, having been overwhelmed by gifts from friends old and new. Both Danny and Frankie were especially taken with a giraffe riding toy from Mike and Christine, and it was only a quick kick to his leg that stopped Tex from pointing out how similar it looked to the one sitting under the Slattery's tree.

"Do you want me to take him?"

The question, spoken too softly for anyone else to overhear, caught her by surprise, although it shouldn't have. If there was one thing that Andrea had learned over the past year, it was that Tex Nolan was both observant and insightful. She gave him a reassuring smile. "Find your own baby. It's my turn."

"Say cheese!" Val interrupted, snapping a picture before either Andrea or Tex could react. While Andrea waited for the spots from the flash to fade and her vision to clear, Val inspected the polaroid. "Totally adorable. Except for the idiotic hat."

"Let me take a look," Andrea replied, reaching for the photograph. Sure enough, Tex looked as utterly ridiculous in the picture as he did in real life, the fake mistletoe hanging off the side of the cap at a crazy angle, the glue having obviously let go over the year. "You look absurd."

"Hey, this hat is good luck," Tex protested. "All the ladies are kissing me tonight. Want to lay one on me, Spookster?"

Val looked at Tex like he had lost his mind. "You know I don't swing that way, right?"

Tex tapped his cheek. "Already got your girlfriend. Right here. If you aim for the same spot, it will be just like kissing her."

Val tapped her fingers against the table. "You're going to annoy me until I agree, aren't you?"

"Yes." Andrea and Kat responded in unison.

"Fine." With an exaggerated sigh, Val leaned over to press the briefest kiss that Andrea had ever witnessed on Tex's cheek. Pulling away quickly, Val actually shuddered, wiping her hand with her mouth. "Ugh. I think I felt your beard. That thing is creepy."

Tex actually chortled. "You're the last holdout, Red. Would you deny me this one request?"

Andrea rolled her eyes. "Yes."


	3. December 25, 2016

_December 25, 2016_

 _x_

Andrea kept her eyes closed as she stretched, relishing the simple pleasure of waking up without an alarm clock blaring in her ear. There was, in fact, no reason she needed to get out of bed for hours. Andrea's only commitment today was Kara and Danny's now-traditional anniversary dinner, but that didn't start until eighteen-hundred, leaving more than enough time to sleep in and exchange gifts with Tex and Kat and still arrive on time. With a sleepy sigh, Andrea snuggled against Tex's warm chest, enjoying the heavy weight of his arm across her waist.

The first time that Andrea woke up beside Tex she was completely thrown by the discovery of a man other than Bill in her bed, and had immediately kicked Tex out of her room. It wasn't that she regretted what they had done – they were both single adults and the sex itself was certainly enjoyable – but she also didn't want to give Tex the impression that it was going to happen again.

Until it did.

Once could be excused as an anomaly. Twice was a lapse in judgment. By the third time, Andrea acknowledged that, for better or worse, she and Tex had a fair amount of chemistry and, without any legal or moral impediments to their actions, there was really no harm in indulging every so often.

Even if _every so often_ really meant every night.

Still, after that first morning, Andrea insisted that Tex find his way back to his own bed after they "hooked up", making it clear that this was not a relationship. But as the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months, Andrea found herself relaxing the rule more often than not, until one day she unconsciously referred to the room as "our bedroom" in front of a group including Tom, Mike, and Danny, earning a whoop from Tex and suspiciously little reaction from Kat. Andrea figured out why the next day, when Kara explained, with amusement dancing in her eyes, how Ray had cleaned out Wolf, Miller, and Cruz on wagers over the status of Tex and Andrea's relationship – a relationship which three senior officers could now confirm existed.

Andrea had not missed the fact that Kat was rather flush with cash over the next few weeks.

"Merry Christmas." Tex murmured, his voice low and gravely, the way it always was when he first woke up.

Andrea's lips curled into a smile. "Merry Christmas."

"Do I get a good morning kiss?"

Andrea leaned up without thinking, then her brain registered the oddly gleeful note in Tex's voice. Her eyes popped open. "You're insane if you think I'm kissing you while you're wearing that thing."

Somehow, impossibly, Tex's mistletoe hat looked even worse than it had the year before. In addition to strands of plastic mistletoe hanging off the sides, the thing was now covered in a thick layer of dust and there were definite chew marks that Andrea was confident belonged to some sort of rodent.

"Are you really going to deny me my Christmas wish?" Tex cajoled.

Andrea scooted as far away as she could without rolling off the bed. "Yes. That thing needs to be burned. I think I see rat crap."

The pout on Tex's face was so adorable that Andrea almost crumbled. Fortunately, Tex caved first, tossing the hat to the floor. "Fine. Can I get a kiss now?"

Grinning, Andrea looped her arms around his neck. "How many would you like?"


	4. December 25, 2017

_December 25, 2017_

 _x_

"Hey Reeeddd."

Andrea opened her eyes groggily, waiting for the strange shapes above her head to turn into something identifiable. Upon determining that it was her husband she groaned, shutting her eyes again. "What time is it?"

"Eight o'clock," Tex replied far too cheerfully.

"Go away. Liam didn't go to sleep until almost zero-six-hundred and I need more sleep," Andrea muttered, rolling away from her husband, silently cursing him for bothering her. She loved her son, but she was far too old to pull an all-nighter.

"It's his first Christmas," Tex pointed out.

"Which he won't remember anyway," Andrea groused. "All that matters is we put him in that outfit from Kara at some point and snap a picture for the baby book. Now leave me alone."

"Fine, one kiss and I'm out of here."

Andrea knew that tone of voice. Her eyes popped open, taking in the by now familiar sight of Tex wearing that mistletoe atrocity, the fake green strands almost completely detached, the berries long gone. It also looked strangely wet. "You cannot be serious. Did you _wash_ that thing?"

Tex shrugged. "I think you might have been right about the rat poop. So I hosed it off. Now, what do you say Red? Do I finally get my Christmas kiss?"

Narrowing her eyes, Andrea considered the disgusting mess resting on Tex's head, weighing the possibility of catching a fatal disease from rat poop against what the hat would look after another year. Without warning she reached up, wrapping her arms around Tex and tumbling him into the bed. She took advantage of his surprised gasp to press their lips together, deepening the kiss until she was absolutely sure that his mind was no longer on anything to do with mistletoe or hats. Pulling away, Andrea grinned at Tex, who was staring at her lips, breathing heavily.

"So are you going to throw that thing away?" She asked, her voice purring the words.

"Anything you want, darlin'." Tex dropped the hat over the side of the bed. "Think I could get another one of those kisses?"

Andrea gazed up at her husband, remembering that Liam would be awake soon, that she still had presents to wrap, that Kat and Ray were coming over for lunch and to exchange gifts, that they would no doubt be out late at Kara and Danny's anniversary party - all of which meant that right now was her only chance to get a little bit more sleep. She raised her hands to cup Tex's face, drawing him down until their lips barely touched.

"As many as you want. Merry Christmas, Tex."


	5. December 25, 2018

_December 25, 2018_

 _x_

Andrea walked into the room, the pile of gifts she was carrying scattering across the floor as she took in the sight before her - her adorable, beloved one-year-old wearing that damn mistletoe hat.

Unbelievably, the thing somehow looked even _worse_ – albeit drier – than the year before. Now, rather than the green strands of fake mistletoe falling off the hat, they were stapled on in a complete jumble, as though someone had vomited mistletoe and berries all over the cap and simply left them.

Liam looked up, his brunette curls hidden by the horrible hat, which promptly fell over his eyes. "Mama!"

Andrea stepped over several packages, sweeping her son up in her arms and tossing the offending hat at her husband, nailing him in the chest. "If that thing ever touches my child again you won't need to get a divorce, Kenneth Nolan, because you will be dead. Do you understand me? _Dead._ "

"Merry Christmas to you too." Kenneth, aka Tex, chuckled from his position sprawled out on the floor, not even bothering to move the atrocity perched on top of him. "Don't worry, Red. That one is new. I made it just for Liam."

Andrea was fairly certain that her mouth was actually hanging open. "You made a new one?"

"Sure did, darling." Tex's eyes twinkled. "So are you going to give him a kiss? Or are you going to make him wait for years too?"


End file.
